Eagles LB’s Will Be At Major Disadvantage Against NFL Tight Ends
BREAKING NEWS, Eagles, Linebackers, News Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
The Eagles currently have DeMeco Ryans starting at middle linebacker, rookie Mychal Kendricks starting at SAM or strongside (tight end side) linebacker and second-year backer Brian Rolle starting at WILL or weakside (away from tight end side) linebacker.
As I see it, the Birds have nothing but WILL linebackers. They’re good football players, but their lack of height is a problem at the SAM position because the main job is covering the tight end.
Outside linebackers Kendricks, Rolle and veteran Jamar Chaney are short, fast, and explosive, which helps them as tacklers and as coverage guys against running backs. I would have no problem matching either one of them up against the running backs in the NFL, but it’s a different story against NFL tight ends. I think they could all do a decent job as WILL linebackers, but they aren’t SAM linebackers.
This is obvious. Why aren’t the Birds matching up Nnamdi Asomugha against quality tight ends in some nickel situations? Asomugha is 6’3″. Why aren’t the Birds worried about matching up against big wide receivers? Asomugha is 6’3″ and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is 6’2″.
They’ve greatly improved their linebackers, but not acquiring a couple of taller linebackers to play the SAM spot was a mistake that will cost them.
NFL offenses are going to be able to throw the ball to their tight ends against the Eagles, especially in red-zone situations because the Birds don’t have any 6’3″, 6’4″ and 6’5″ linebackers. I know these guys can jump, but many times their back will be to the quarterback when the ball is thrown and they may not have time to jump. They will need something that they don’t have (height and arm length) to knock the ball away.
All the Eagles need to do is look at a guy who is at each of their practices, former Eagles wide receiver great Harold Carmichael who stands 6’8″. Carmichael used his height to dominate smaller defensive backs and it made a huge difference.
Why has it been impossible to stop Detroit’s wide Calvin Johnson? He’s 6’5″ and a tremendous athlete. Most of the time he has at least a five to eight inch advantage over the defensive backs who try to cover him. Matthew Stafford can just throw the ball up to him.
Carmichael had this same advantage and was able to set records for consecutive games with at least one catch. All Ron Jaworski had to do was throw the ball up to him.
Is it a coincidence that Johnson at 6’5″ had 16 touchdown catches in the 2011 season. New England 6’7″ tight end Rob Gronkowski had 17 touchdown passes and Green Bay wide receiver Jordy Nelson (who stands 6’3″) had 15 touchdown catches. It’s a fact that a height advantage helps.
So why would it make sense to match linebackers who are 5’11″ and under against NFL tight ends?
The Eagles linebackers are going to be facing tight ends who are 6’5″, 6’6″ and 6’7″ on a regular basis. If height wasn’t a major advantage then why do teams look for tall receivers like Carmichael, Johnson, and Plaxico Burress to throw the ball to in the red zone? Teams are simply going to throw the ball up high and Eagles linebackers will be forced to interfere.
The Cowboys have Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten, who is 6’5″. The Giants have Martellus Bennett and Jake Ballard who are 6’6″. The Redskins have Fred Davis and Robert Quinn, who are both listed at 6’4″.
They will also have to stop New Orleans Saints monster Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham who is 6’7″. Atlanta Falcons tight end and future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is 6’5″. The Detroit Lions have Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler who are both 6’5″. The Steelers have Heath Miller who is 6’5″. Arizona Cardinals Todd Heap is 6’5″.
The height advantage can be exploited out in the field, but it’s most important in the red zone. There are quite few outstanding tight ends in the league now, and they do a nice job of using their size to screen defenders off while using their hands to catch the football.
I’m not saying the Eagles linebackers won’t be effective in other areas of the game, but they’ll be at a tremendous disadvantage when other teams are throwing the ball to their tight ends.
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Posted by GarryCobb
on Jun 5 2012. Filed under BREAKING NEWS, Eagles, Linebackers, News.
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Keenan Robinson would have been perfect, we will see him twice a year in Washington.
bugsy – nice work – as stated by yours truly early and often – the eagles did a fialry decent job against TEs and got beat pretty bad by RBs and WRs… yet we have a whole article and 50 some odd comments talking about the fact our LBs azre 6ft and some TEs are taller (did we shrink from last year and the TEs grow???) #3 against the TE, biggest issue was RBs and #2 WRs… for a bunch of people that talk about ‘having a blind spot’ sure does seem like the team is moving to try and fix the issues they had last year on D??
Pdiddy – we are going to see how good Keenan Robinson is when we play against him this year……..by the end of the year, you will change your mind about him.
@Gmcliff, we shall see Gm we shall see.
You can bitch and moan about the LBs all you want, but the real Achilles heel of the 9-Technique is its dependence on a fresh front four. I think you are going to see more offenses utilizing the no-huddle to keep our D-line on the field. A few series of quick 5-7 yd passes to wear down our front then attack intermediate / deep when we are a step or 2 slower.
You have to have the right QB to effectively handle the no-huddle, but Brady and Ryan showed us just how damaging it can be last year.
mryan….I’m with you…..also the bogus ass safeties, and don’t 4get Juan Castillo is the defensive coordinator.
We have some issues on the offensive side too….If Vick goes down for a few games due to injury this team is toast.
songs – your an idiot shut the fuck up – you have no clue what you are talking about -
mryan – solid point – but isnt that the exact reason you move your CBs up into more man press (take away the WRs) – get LBs that are better at covering RBs and can stay with TEs – you can;t throw high lob passes 5 to 7 yards over the middle too often – slightly overthrown becomes a pick –
so who are you going to throw to – even if you listen to that blathering idiot songs and try and attack the safeties – you are much further then 5 to 7 yards down field – who do you attack short?
follow that up with drafting additional depth at DT and DE… plus all back from last year.. so you can have a two deep rotation at each spot – a d line that blasts in and gets pressure..seems to me we are gearing up to play just that kind of team?
hey another great way to slow the no huddle down – a ball control offense that generates first downs and controls the clock…
bugsyhawk- Great work on the stats.
Thats what I like to see. Not speculation but cold hard facts!
Double thumbs up to you.
Thanks bugsy, that put things in perspective…appreciate the numbers.
@ mryan…the no huddle is definately effective with the right qb, but there is no doubt that one of the strengths of this team is the quality depth of the defensive line. This is going to be a much stronger defense this year, we just need to wait and see them in action.
Didn’t Nnamdi play a major role in stopping the TE last year? I was at plenty of the games and when we played opposing teams with elite TEs i think I remember Nnamdi lining up against them for the majority of the game (especially against Vernon Davis in the 49ers game)…I may be wrong but I swear i thought they used Nnamdi on many of the stud TEs we played…And I think people are forgetting that…
Just saying i give him more credit for the better numbers against the TE then I do any of the linebackers
Let me say I feel much better about the linebackers going into this year solely because of Ryans and Kendricks. I personally really liked the KEndricks pick a lot, probably my favorite actually. I don’t get why people are jumping on him before he even played a down in the NFL yet…so far this dude is everything we always wanted in a LB…he SAYS the right things. HAs the Right attitude…not the lil bitch attitude we have been accustomed too from some recent picks (cough Mathews) who blame other people like fans when they cant do the job their paid to do. Kendricks also has the ability on the field…he can TACKLE. wait we actually have a linebacker that can tackle now (2 if you count Ryans)…
We were probably one of the most fundamental flawed teams in the NFL last year…the TAckling was just straight up atrocious…nice to finally have some players who can wrap up in the linebacker spot
MRryan…I agree with you about the no huddle killing us (actually wish we ran the no huddle with our own Offense much more than we do…I guess Reid hasn’t trusted Vick to handle it like Brees, Brady, Rodgers, Manning do- hopefully that changes this year)…
However I think outside the unknown we have at safety position this year…the achilles heel of this team will be the Coaching. (esp play calling and adjustments which tend to rly hurt us every year)
Sorry but just have no trust in JC and Reid against the better Coaches/Qbs of the NFL…
1 win against a team with a winning record last year is all the evidence anybody needs…Let me repeat that 1 FREAKIN WIN…just 1…absolutely pathetic if you’re a team that is hopeful for a deep playoff run/Super Bowl…That is nowhere near getting it done…REid/CAstillo will have their chance to show what they can do since we play 8 teams I believe that finished with winning records from last year…time to show up, no more excuses…or seriously get the fuck out of town and let someone else try
pheags?
Why do you think the linebackers were so atrocious in tackling last year?
and………
do you think the coaches knew before the season began that they would suck ass?
I swear the IQ of the world goes down 1 pt every time songs posts….
Paint chips, I tell ya!!!! WOW!!!!
Navy, and DCar…….LOL!!!!